The Canadiens celebrate a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday.Getty Images

A team from Canada has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993 (Canadiens), but that could change this year.

The Canadiens are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 12-4-2 record after finishing last place in the conference last season. In five of their past seven games, they have given one goal or gotten a shutout. While everyone is contributing, Carey Price and rookie Alex Galchenyuk have stood out. Price has 10 wins, tied for the league lead and had bounced back nicely after a subpar 2011-12 campaign, and Galchenyuk has 12 points and is a plus-nine, which leads all rookies.

Then, there’s the Senators. Erik Karlsson (Achilles), Jason Spezza (back), and Craig Anderson (ankle) are all out. Having one of those players hurt would be a crippling blow, but all three? No problem for Ottawa, who went 4-0 last week and is two points out of the Conference lead. Paul MacLean has to be considered for coach of the year right now.

And we can’t forget about the Maple Leafs, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2004. They had a 2-2 week, but to be above .500 and in the playoffs at this moment a third of the way through the season is a positive sign. Not to mention doing it without their starting goalie, James Riemer, who is injured.

The Oilers, Flames and Jets are each only two points out of a playoff spot, while the Canucks currently sit third in the Western Conference. Last season, two of the seven Canadien teams made the playoffs. Expect that number to at least double this season.

1) Blackhawks (15-0-3) (1)

Another perfect week for the Blackhawks, who won all three games by one goal. Corey Crawford made his first start in two weeks Sunday and stopped all 28 shots in a 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets. Nothing seems to phase this team.

2) Ducks (13-2-1) (2)

Have won six in a row and 10 of 11 after Sundays 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche. Jonas Hiller is back, having made two starts in a row. Combined with Viktor Fasth, that gives the Ducks as formidable a goaltending duo as there is in the league right now.

3) Canadiens (12-4-2) (9)

The Canadiens got seven out of a possible eight points last week, and are 6-0-1 in their past seven games. That includes three shutouts, and they sit atop the Eastern Conference.

4) Bruins (11-2-2) (4)

Quietly, the Bruins have gotten off to their best start in 36 years. They have killed off 21 straight penalties and have allowed a league-low three power play goals all season.

5) Penguins (13-6-0) (3)

Tough loss to the Flyers on Wednesday but rebounded with wins over the Panthers and Lightning. If Evgeni Malkin (possible concussion) misses an extended period of time, things could get rough in Pittsburgh.

6) Canucks (10-4-4) (5)

Roberto Luongo had a shutout on Friday, and followed that up by allowing eight goals on in an 8-3 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday. He had allowed a total of seven goals in his past six starts.

7) Blues (10-6-2) (7)

After three weeks on the shelf, Jaroslav Halak is back, and in fine form, allowing two goals in two games. Fun fact: The Blues lead the league with 10 players who have scored at least 10 points. No other team has more than seven.

8) Senators (11-6-2) (19)

Remarkable what they are doing. Went 4-0 in a week with wins over the Devils, Islanders, Rangers and Leafs, allowing six goals in the process. Show of hands who thought the defense would be this good when Karlsson went down with a season-ending injury?

9) Devils (10-5-4) (6)

Losers of five of their past seven, the Devils have a lot of problems right now. The penalty kill has allowed a goal in eight of nine games, and Martin Brodeur had to pull himself from the lineup Sunday with back problems.

10) Red Wings (9-7-3) (12)

Two solid wins this weekend, 4-0 against the Predators, and then an 8-3 romp over the Canucks. Their problem has been playing down to the competition, like they did in losing to the Blue Jackets on Thursday.

11) Maple Leafs (11-8-0) (10)

Alternated wins and losses this week but are keeping up with the Bruins and Canadiens in the Northeast Divison with solid goaltending and a balanced offensive attack.

12) Hurricanes (9-7-1) (11)

Ended a three-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Islanders on Sunday. All of a sudden, the Hurricanes are in first place in the Southeast Division.

13) Predators (8-6-5) (21)

For the first time all season, the Predators went two games in a row without getting a point. Pretty amazing considering they’ve already had five losing streaks this season.

14) Stars (9-8-1) (13)

They’re in a logjam with every other team in the Pacific division. The good news is, Jaromir Jagr has 13 points through 17 games, and holdout Jamie Benn also has 13 points in 13 games.

15) Rangers (8-7-2) (8)

Just when it seemed as if they were hitting their stride, the Rangers went 0-2-1 scoring three goals in three games this week. Adding injury to insult, Ryan McDonagh and Dan Giradri were both injured during Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Montreal.

The Rangers were already without Rick Nash, Darroll Powe, Arron Asham and Michael Del Zotto, and may need to make another trade soon.

16) Lightning (9-8-1) (18)

Steven Stamkos had a goal and two assists in Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Penguins. He now has six goals and 11 points in five games.

17) Sharks (8-6-3) (14)

It’s gotten real ugly for the Sharks, who have now lost nine of their past 10 games. But don’t blame Antti Niemi, who has lost three games in which he allowed zero or one goal. That would explain winning seven or 14 or his decisions despite a 1.96 goals against and a .931 save percentage.

18) Islanders (8-10-1) (16)

The week didn’t start out well with a 7-0 blitz by the Flyers, but wins against the Canadiens and Sabres were a positive sign before blowing a two goal lead in a 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday. Rick DiPietro was sent to the AHL earlier in the week, paving the way for backup Kevin Poulin to get some playing time.

19) Kings (8-6-2) (25)

Don’t look now, but here come the Kings. Winners of three in a row and five of six, they have gotten back into playoff contention. They do face a tough stretch this week with games against the Ducks, Red Wings and Canucks.

20) Flyers (9-10-1) (23)

A 7-0 pummeling of the Islanders on Monday and then scoring six in a wacky 6-5 win over the Penguins shows why this team can be dangerous when they’re at their best. Scored 20 goals in four games this week.

21) Jets (8-9-1) (22)

Impressive 3-1 road trip for the Jets so far, which has one more stop to go against the Rangers.

22) Coyotes (8-7-3) (15)

They had been playing well before two bad losses this weekend against the Oilers and Flames.

23) Wild (8-7-2) (17)

For all this team did in the offseason, they should be a lot higher in the standings. But they rank 28th overall in goals per game.

24) Oilers (7-7-3) (20)

The Oilers have given 40-year old backup Nikolai Khabibulin a shot, as he has started two of the past three games for the struggling Devan Dubnyk. So far, so good, as Khabibulin has allowed two goals in each. And a top five power play and penalty kill don’t hurt, either.

25) Flames (7-7-3) (26)

Maybe Sunday will be the turning point of the Flames season. Down 4-3 with 1:23 left in the game against the Coyotes, Jarome Iginla and Curtis Glencross each scored to propel Calgary to a 5-4 win.

26) Capitals (6-10-1) (27)

Washington finally got what they expected out of Alex Ovechkin all season — a hat trick and a four-point night in Saturday’s 5-1 thrashing of the Devils. Now can he continue that?

27) Avalanche (7-8-2) (28)

Had a chance to beat one of the league’s best teams Sunday but blew a 2-0 lead and eventually lost 4-3 to the Ducks in a shootout.

28) Panthers (5-9-4) (29)

They’ve tried everything, even using three goalies in four games. Nothing seems to work for the dismal Panthers, who have lost six in a row at home, where their next two games are.

29) Sabres (6-12-1) (24)

The Sabres are now last in the Eastern Conference, and fired coach Lindy Ruff last week, who had been the longest tenured coach in the league. With six wins in 19 games and currently on a four-game slide, there will probably be more shakeups coming soon.

30) Blue Jackets (5-12-2) (30)

Went 1-5 on a six game road trip and have yet to win consecutive games this season. If they played Detroit every game — they’re 2-0-1 against them — maybe they’d be decent.